We live in a highly stressful world! We have to tend to pressure from everywhere, including work, friends and even family. As a result, it is not uncommon that we feel that we are pulled from all directions, all the time. Over time, these stresses begin to wear on us and affect our physical and mental health and productivity at work.
Do you feel this way? Don't worry. There is a solution. We do have some essential self-care tips for a better you!
Self-care is a powerful process that has far-reaching positive consequences. For example, many studies have shown that those making regular efforts to include daily self-care are more in touch with their creative and productive side. This will result in better decision making overall boost in self-esteem, better communication and stronger relationships.
We have curated eleven simple Self-care tips that you can start implementing in your life today.
1) Wake up early
Stop hitting the snooze button and wake up early in the day. When you use the snooze button to sleep for a bit longer, it makes you more tired and often, you will tend to sleep in longer. Delaying to wake up also will disturb the body's sleep rhythm and create a pattern of restlessness at the start of your day. Sleep experts recommend that you should set your alarm for the time you need to be up for and wake up then.
Rising early also gives you ample time to prepare for your day, with perhaps some time to exercise your body, mentally go through the list of items to do and enjoy a slow and nourishing breakfast before you get to work.
While this can seem a bit difficult initially, your body will get used to it soon, and you will feel more refreshed and energized in time.
2) Anticipate Problems before they arise
Starting your morning with a negative mindset can affect your whole day. You can avoid this by taking a few moments at the beginning of the day and reflecting on potential stress points that may arise in the day. Then, please make a note of these by writing them down with pen and paper. And look for ways you can deal with these if they arise, or better still, how you can prevent them from happening at all.
A few minutes of such reflection can be very effective in getting yourself entangled in conflicts or confrontations.
3) Ask yourself what you need
It is one of the most simple tips, but most people struggle with it. It would help if you focused on your needs. Looking after yourself is an actual reality, and you mustn't ignore it.
Try to make things simple and ask yourself if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired. If you try and ignore your needs, whether physical or emotional, you just set yourself up for failure in the long term.
The simple solution is to put some time for reflection each day into what you need on that particular day. And follow it up with the necessary action.
4) Become Emotionally Aware
Emotional intelligence is an often overlooked but crucial concept for our holistic well-being and development. Getting in touch with your emotions and learning to express them authentically will strengthen your bonds with others and help you relate to others' emotional states as well.
It will also help you to get through trying times. Knowing whether you are reacting to a particular situation from your fear body or your clarity and maturity will help you make better decisions and choices in life. These will, in turn, will help you avoid problems in the long run.
Emotional awareness will also strengthen your empathy, and these will nurture and solidify your relationship with others.
5) Spend time alone
An essential part of self-care is taking a solid amount of time alone daily. Rather than pack your life with numerous activities and escape to vacation for two weeks each year, try to implement the concept of daily vacation. And just do whatever you want in this time all by yourself. It could be self-reflection, reading a book, riding your bike, going for a walk, painting, dancing or just about anything you feel.
You could consider your ride to work or back home from work as your me-time. You could listen to an audiobook or favourite music or connect with your breathing. When you allow your body to relax this way, it can lower cortisol and adrenaline and increase serotonin and dopamine, meaning you will go from feeling stressed to relaxed and even happy.
Suppose you are unable to do it each day; try to factor these in every week.
6) Embrace the power of positive company
Laughter is contagious and is considered the best medicine. There are just no doubts about this. This is because human's emotions are often strongly related to the emotional states of those around them. You can literally absorb emotions from others. So if unhappy and negative people often surround you, you can feel that way too. The better choice will be for you to hang out with those who are happy and have positive vibes.
While it is unrealistic to expect that you are only surrounded by happy people all the time, make sure to spend at least some time regularly with those who are optimistic and easygoing. And don't forget when you absorb this happy energy, you can also pass it on to others you meet in your day.
7) Cook your meals
It is easy to eat out at a restaurant frequently or buy processed food at the supermarket that you can throw into the microwave. While this is relatively easy to accomplish, it certainly isn't healthy if you are doing it regularly as they will satisfy your hunger and aren't of high nutritional value.
Try and set aside some time regularly to make a healthy meal. Cook it either alone or with your partner, friend or family member. Don't worry about your cooking skills. The loving energy that you will put into the food will more than compensate, and you will be healthier and relaxed when you consume homemade meals on a more regular basis.
8) Take power naps
A power nap is maybe just the thing your body needs as it can allow your body and mind to get a bit of rest in your hectic day. Many studies have indicated that even a short nap for about 20 minutes is good enough to recharge your batteries, reduce stress and enhance productivity.
9) Move it! Move it! Move it!
Sometimes you can feel paralysed or disconnected when you are dealing with high levels of stress. Choosing to be active, you can shake yourself out of it and get back on track. Practice Yogāsana-s (Yogic postures), go for a walk, a bicycle ride or swim a few laps at the pool. You could alternately visit your local gym and exercise to move your body. These cyclical and rhythmic movements can free you from the feeling of stagnancy and bring you back to the present moment.
10) Meditate daily
Schedule a short meditative practise each day. Many studies have shown that even a short meditation practise regularly will relax your mind and body. It will also help you declutter your mind to think more clearly and make better decisions in life. It can also help you sleep better and have much more vitality to fulfil your daily responsibilities.
So make sure you create a habit of setting aside some time to meditate each day. If you are unsure of how to meditate, find a mentor or teacher who can guide you through this process. You will not regret it!
11) Ask for help
Often when we are stressed, we isolate ourselves and feel that there is no one to help us. If you keep adding more and more responsibilities and activities to your life, you will only end up feeling overwhelmed and powerless. It is okay to ask for help from those around you and those who are an integral part of your life. Requesting assistance is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it can help you become stronger as a helping hand can lift your spirits and help you solve your troubles more effectively.
Don't forget Self-care is not selfish. It is necessary. Only by bringing a better understanding to all aspects of your life can you change for the better. You must not consider Self-care as a side project that you can deal with later. The more you postpone, the more catching up you will have to do.
Self-care is a deeply important choice that affects all aspects of your life. Be it your personal, professional, social or spiritual life. It also has a profound impact on your health, be it physical or emotional.
We must take care of ourselves to be fit enough to care for those who depend on us.
So begin your Self-care routine today! Choose one or two from the above list and start implementing it immediately. And slowly, as the weeks go by, begin to bring in the other tips as well into your reality.
Good luck to you, and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing a better you!
Namaste!
Please note: This article is written for educational purposes only and is based on the personal opinion of the author. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Rather, it is meant for reflective self-guidance purposes only. We strongly recommend that you always follow your intuition in deciding what is best for you!
We are thrilled to announce a new course for July 2021 titled Embrace your Heart! The Power of meditation in expressing your intimate feelings!
The purpose of this seminar is to help you connect with, open and embrace your heart through profound meditation practices from the Viniyoga tradition. The practices taught will incorporate some of its holistic range of tools, including simple body movements (Āsana), conscious breath regulation (Prāṇāyāma), repetition of oral sounds (Mantra), visualizations (Bhāvanā), gestures (Nyāsa) and guided meditation (Dhyānam).
There are many ways you can seek help to deal with mental health issues. Psychotherapy, Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis are the more conventional approaches. However, there are other methods like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) that can also be an effective treatment. However, treatment of mental health needs a holistic approach and should include changes in nutrition, lifestyle etc.
Yoga Therapy has also come to be recognised as an effective complementary treatment to support those with mental health issues. Meditation is among one of the more effective tools of Yoga to strengthen the mind and help alleviate many of the symptoms of mental health issues.
Choose a method that is most suitable to you and that which is easily accessible. No matter which line of healing you choose to pursue, it is important that you don’t delay seeking treatment. Also please note that you are not alone in this journey and there is appropriate help available if you seek it!
Dr. Kausthub Desikachar also assists many clients in their healing journey that includes mental health issues. He offers insightful mentoring through private consultations, which can be taken either face-to-face or online . To book a session with him, kindly visit his private consultations page by clicking here>
Dr Kausthub Desikachar is the successor and current lineage holder of the classical Yoga tradition of T Krishnamacharya & TKV Desikachar. He is an acclaimed yoga teacher, yoga therapist, healer and spiritual adviser. His objectives include the sharing of the authentic teachings of Yoga to the modern era, as well as building bridges between different healing modalities to promote physical, emotional social and spiritual health.
He is the founder of Viniyoga Pte. Ltd. and also the co-founder of Krishnamacharya Healing & Yoga Foundation, India, and the founder and president of Europe based KHYF International.
Dr Kausthub Desikachar is a champion of women’s empowerment and guides many of his female students to embody their strength. To view his interviews with Viniyoga Women, visit this page here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/viniyoga-women
He also offers a Mantra blog, where students can listen to different Mantras from the Vedic Tradition. To benefit from this, visit here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/mantra
Dr Kausthub Desikachar also assists many clients in their healing journey that includes mental health issues. He regularly writes articles on Mental Health issues and these can be found here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/mental-health
Being an amazing Yoga Therapist and Spiritual guide, Dr Kausthub Desikachar also offers insightful mentoring through private consultations, which can be taken either face-to-face or online. To book a session with him, kindly visit his private consultations page by clicking here>
Apart from Yoga Teaching, Kausthub is also an avid photographer, inspirational writer and poet. To view, some of his inspirations, visit the website www.kausthubdesikachar.com